Cover fastener



Mar. 3, 1925. 1,528,169

w. SANDS COVER FASTENBR Filed Nov. 8, 1923.

. n d/i e) $0006 Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER SANDS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

,oovnn rAs'rnNER.

application filed November 8, 1923. Serial No. 673,558.

To all whom it may concern." 1

Be it known that I, WALTER SANDS, a citizen of the United States, residing atMinneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cover Fasteners; and I do'hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to .whichit appertains to make and use the, same. I

My invention relates to shipping boxes, the term box being used in a broad enough sense to include crates, and provides an extremely simple and highly. efficient cover, the term cover being used in a sense broad enough to include the bottom or any other one of the side-forming members ofthe box. The cover includes fastening means or locks, which, by the spring action of the cover, are detachably. held in interlocking engagementwith the sides ofthe box.- This improved cover, while capable of application to boxes generally, will, nevertheless, be especially desirable for use in'connection with-what is known as collapsible or knock-downshipping boxes or crates such as used for shipping poultry and various bulky articlesjand where the cost of the shipping box or crate is a considerable itemof cost'as compared with the. contents of the box. Boxes or crates of the above .character are easily made collap- -sible.because of the greatly reduced cost in the return shipment-of the empty box. My

invention also includes an extremely simple yet highly eflicient' hinge for connecting the "four collapsible sides of collapsible shipping boxesorcrates. 1'

Generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices, construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and defined in the claims. o In the accompanyingdrawings, which il lustrate the invention, like characters indicate likeparts throu'ghout'the several views.

Referring tothe drawings: Fig. '1 is a perspective showing my invention applied to a collapsible box Fig 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2.-2 of Fig. 1; i

Fig; 3 is a detail in transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, 1

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of parts of the box found in the vicinity of the line marked 5+5 on Fig. 4:;

Fig. 6 is a' fragmentary view'showing a slight modification of the hinge illustrated 1n Fig. 4, the same being taken on the same section line as Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4, but illustrating a still further-modification of the hinge structure. I

The box, as shown, has four fiat sides 8 of solid construction, but these sides, of course, will be made up of slats when a box of the crate type is desired. At the corners of the box, the .four' sides 8 areconnected by h nges, each hinge comprising a pair of staples or U-shaped wires 9 that are driven obliquely through the 'end'portions of the side members, as best shown in Fig. l. One staple ofeach hinge lies in a horizontal plane and the other is set edg'ewise in a verticalplane and the ends of the staples are clinched or bent against'the exterior of the sides.

By driving the staples obliquely through the box sides, their interlooped portions are brought at the proper places to permit the four side members to fold together flat-wisewhen the box is 001- lapsed. Y

The hinge shown in Fig. 6 is like that shown in F 4, except that the projecting loopsof the staples 9 are contracted so as to form nearly circular eyes 9". The hinge shown in Fig. 7 is formed of two eye-bolts 10 having interlapped eyes, the said eye-bolts being driven obliquely through the sides of the box at the corners thereof and having their ends clinchedat the exterior of the box side members. V

Int-his type of folding box, the cover or top and the bottom of the box may be assumed to be of substantially the same con struction and, hence, only the top orcover member Wlll now be specifically described. This cover, as well as the sides of the box,

may take various forms but is preferably of skeletonized or'crate-like type and, .in fact, there is important minor novelty in the way in which this cover is made as well as'in the way in which the cover fasteners are applied thereto... As shown, said cover is made up of'parallel longitudinally spaced rails 11 and transverse slats 12 and, as an This'provides an eflicient hinge of very trifling cost.

important feature, the side rails 11 are each made up of two slat-s placed one on top of the other and'nailed or otherwise rigidly secured together an'dtheen'ds of the-cross slats 12 are nailed or otherwise rigidly secured to said side rails.

In this preferred arrangement, the front and rear side plates of the box project-slight 1y above the inside plates, and the side rails 12 of the cover are so-spaced and: of su'clr length that they will fit flush between the upper edges ofsaid fronti and rear plates and their ends-will rest upon the end plates, as clearly shown in-Figs'1 and-2i The preferred fornr of the improved fas tener is best shownin detail in Fig.3, bu't'is also shoxvnin:other'views. Each such fastener is in the form of a: metallic slide 13' with upturned innerendld and =upturned' outer end 15. These fasteners are arranged to slide through the rails ll, -wh ich are-pro videdwith guide passages formed 1 by a cutting grooves 1611s the HPPGWZEQCBS-Of the lower cleats of said side-rails before thetwo cleats are secured together and, of=course, the fasteners -should be'inserted in said slots before the two cleats-are nailed 'or otherwise secured together. By reference 1 to Fig. 2', it will also be noted that cert'ain of "the cross slats 12* are located directly under the grooves 16 -and that cli nched nails 17 are driven through the rails i and I through I the ends of saidcross slats on opposite sidesof the said'slots This not-only 'provide'scheap construction but reinforces theside rails at points where they would be otherwise slightly weakened by the slots.

The front and back platesofth'e box, for cooperation with the outer ends of the sliding fasteners 14', are formed-with angular perforations 18 through which the" outer end flanges 15-may be freely slid when and only when the cover is sprung downward, so'that saidflanges will align witl i said Zperforat-ion. Of course, the slide's13mustbe longenough to -project completely through the perforations 18 and into engagement with the exterior of" thefront and back plates, as shownin Figs. 1 and 3.

hen the cover-is first placed on-the top 11 will be=approximately flush with-the upper edges of the front and back plate sand the fasteners 13 and their outer flanges 15 :will then stand above the perforations 18,

but by springing the'intermediate portion I of the coverdownward, the fasteners may be aligned. with and then forcedoutward through the perforations-1.8 and then, when the pressure is removed from'the' cover, it will spring up into the position shown in Fig. S and return as-nearly to'normalposition as permitted by the slots 18. lVhen' the fasteners areengagedwith thebox, as shown 1 in F ig.. 3, the cover will not only be firmly bent from flat rolled'steel 'or thin iron bars or sheets:

The feature "of providing a box. cover or removable side forniing member:- with fasteners movable into andiout'of interlocking engagement with the box proper" and: arranged to be=normallynheldinterlocked therewith by" the spring tension in the cover member, i is considered." broadly new, irrespective of" the manner in which they are applied and-* of the 'manner in which. the cover is arranged to be sprung in order to effect engagement f of the fasteners" with the box or disengagement of the fasteners from tliebox.

What l claim isr l 1. The combination with abox; ofia-cover therefor adapted td be sprung in respe'ct'to its-normal position of rest on thebox and provided with fas'tenersjadapted fora interlocking engagement with the box and" arranged '-to be held interlocked with the box by the spring tensionof the cover;

2. The combinat'ioi'i with aibox, of a cover therefor *adapted to be sprung in' respect 'to its normal posi-tiom of restP onthe box and provided with niova'ble fasteners "constructed for interlocking engagement with-the b ox and arranged to beheldin interlocking: engagement therewith by the springtension of said "cover;

3; The com'binati'on witha box, of a covertherefor adapted to be'isprung in respect; to its normal position of rest on-the box and provided withv sliding fasteners having bent of the box, as shown in Fig. 1,'1ts SlClQTdllS ends insertable through openings in the box with the box.

4; The combination with' abox, of a cover therefor "adapted to be sprung in respect=to its normal: position of rest on'athebox and provided with sliding fastenershavingbent ends insertable-through openings in the-box and adapted for interlocking. engagement with the box r and arranged tobe held interlocked with the box by thespring tension of salid'- cover. V

5. The combination-'witha box, of'a cover therefor adapted to be sprung :in respect to its normal position of- -rest'on the boxv and provided with fasteners in the form of flat metal, slides having outturned ends permitting said fasteners limited sliding movements, said box having openings through which the outer flanged ends of said slides may be moved when the cover is sprung, and the said fasteners being held in interlocking engagement with the boX by thespring tension of said cover.

6. A box cover made up of longitudinal bars and cross slats, said bars each being made up of two slats, one of which has notches facing the companion slat, and fasteners in the form of flat metal pieces arranged to slide through the passages formed by said notches and provided with out turned ends limiting the sliding movements thereof, the projecting ends of said fasteners being adapted for interlocking engagement with the box. v

7. The structure defined in claim 6 in which nails are driven through the slats of said bars on opposite sides of the fasteners andare driven into aligned cross slats.

8. The combination with a box having sides that project slightly above its ends, said sides having fastener passages in the vicinity of it upper edge, of a cover comprising laterally spaced bars and cross slats, said bars being of a length to rest on the upper edges of the ends of thebox, and sliding fasteners working through saidv bars and having bent ends insertablethrough the fastener passa es of the sides of the box and adapted for interlocking engagement therewith. -9. The structure defined in claim 8 in which said fasteners may be engaged through the fastener passages of said box only when the intermediate portions of the bars of said cover are sprung inward.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

. WALTER SANDS. 

